The US will fly a supersonic bomber over ally South Korea as part of a massive combined aerial exercise involving hundreds of warplanes, in an attempt to intimidate North Korea following its barrage of ballistic missile tests this week, which has heightened regional tensions.
The South Korean Defense Ministry said at least one B-1B bomber will take part in the final day of a joint US-South Korean air force exercise, which concludes Saturday. More information was not immediately provided by South Korean and US military officials.
The “Vigilant Storm” exercise, which involved approximately 240 warplanes from both countries, including advanced F-35 fighter jets, has enraged North Korea. The North launched dozens of missiles into the sea this week, including an intercontinental ballistic missile that triggered evacuation warnings in northern Japan, and flew its own warplanes within its borders.
Late Friday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry described the military actions as an appropriate response to the Vigilant Storm, which it called a display of “military confrontation hysteria” by the United States. It stated that North Korea will respond to any attempts by “hostile forces” to infringe on its sovereignty or security interests with the “toughest counteraction.”
During previous periods of tension with North Korea, B-1B flyovers were a common show of force. The planes were last seen in the area in 2017, during another provocative run of North Korean weapons displays. However, the flyovers have been suspended in recent years due to the United States and South Korea suspending large-scale exercises in support of the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts with North Korea, as well as COVID-19.
The allies resumed large-scale training this year as North Korea increased its weapons testing to a record level, taking advantage of a schism in the United Nations Security Council over Russia’s war on Ukraine as an opportunity to accelerate arms development.
North Korea despises such close-range displays of American military might. Despite the fact that the B-1B was converted to conventional weapons in the mid-1990s, the North has continued to refer to it as a “nuclear strategic bomber.”
Vigilant Storm was supposed to end on Friday, but the allies decided to extend it to Saturday in response to a series of North Korean ballistic launches on Thursday, including an ICBM that triggered evacuation warnings and halted trains in northern Japan.
North Korea launched more than 20 missiles on Wednesday, the most it had ever launched in a single day. These launches occurred after North Korean senior military official Pak Jong Chon issued a veiled threat of nuclear war with the United States and South Korea over their joint drills, which the North says are rehearsals for a potential invasion.
South Korea also scrambled approximately 80 military aircraft on Friday after tracking approximately 180 flights by North Korean warplanes inside North Korean territory. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that North Korean warplanes were detected in various areas inland as well as along the country’s eastern and western coasts, but did not fly particularly close to the Korean border. The South Korean military observed about 180 flight trails between 1 and 5 p.m., but it was unclear how many North Korean planes were involved or whether some flew more than once.
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement attributed to an unidentified spokesperson on Friday that the United States and South Korea’s military exercises had created a seriously “unstable atmosphere” in the region. It accused the US of mobilising its allies in a campaign of sanctions and military threats to force North Korea to disarm unilaterally.
“The sustained provocation is bound to be followed by sustained counteraction,” the statement said.
This year, North Korea has launched dozens of ballistic missiles, including several ICBMs and an intermediate-range missile that flew over Japan. South Korean officials say there are signs that North Korea will conduct its first nuclear test since 2017. According to experts, North Korea is attempting to force the US to accept it as a nuclear power and is attempting to negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength.